Those skilled in the art are cognizant of a variety of carrying cases to facilitate the transport or storage of writing materials such as papers, notebooks, folders, and the like together with writing utensils. Some include separate sections for papers and for writing utensils, Margerum, U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,003, being an example. Malooly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,055 is another example, in which a hinged lid portion of a carrying case has an auxillary openable panel, allowing access to a file folder portion of the carrying case independent of access to the remainder of the case. Crane, U.S. Pat. No. D246,549 is typical of carrying cases in which several sections are clustered together and independently close, the various sections being especially designed to hold particular instruments or papers. Koves, U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,812 discloses an expandable portion adapted to contain papers and a second, subdivided portion adapted to contain artist supplies. The Koves carrying case is equipped with a strap to allow the case to be carried over the shoulder of the user. Sloop, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,180 and Lindaman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,826 are similarly equipped with shoulder straps.
A number of carrying cases have box-like lids that open to reveal a correspondingly box-like lower portion adapted to carry papers or files. Examples include D'Arcy, U.S. Pat. No. D194,525; Winther, U.S. Pat. No. D249,393; and Sola, U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,010. A wide variety of paper cases, satchels, and receptacles of miscellaneous design containing subdivisions for papers and supplies also exist, of which Hassenfeld, U.S. Pat. No. D102,554 and Morgan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,903 are examples.
Those skilled in the art are not cognizant of a carrying case including a lower part adapted to contain files, notebooks, or the like and to be carried by the user with a convenient, over-the-shoulder strap attached thereto, and a rigid, independently closeable container adapted to contain writing implements and comparable small items and to itself serve to close the first container while at the same time being completely removable therefrom.